The City Dental Practice

We carried out this announced inspection on 2 December 2019 under section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We planned the inspection to check whether the registered provider was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a Care Quality Commission, (CQC), inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?

• Is it effective?

• Is it caring?

• Is it responsive to people’s needs?

• Is it well-led?

These questions form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

City Dental Practice is in Leicester City, in the East Midlands and provides mostly NHS and some private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. There are no patient car parking facilities, but on street parking is available outside the practice. This includes spaces for people with disabilities.

The dental team includes eight dentists, one visiting implantologist, four dental nurses, three trainee dental nurses, two dental hygiene therapists, two receptionists and a practice manager. The practice has five treatment rooms; three are on ground floor level.

The practice offers general dentistry services and dental implants. At the time of our visit, they were accepting new NHS patients.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

On the day of inspection, we collected 14 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, two dental nurses, one dental hygiene therapist, one receptionist and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures, patient feedback and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8am to 4pm and Saturday from 9am to 12.30pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The provider had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
• The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Caring and responsiveness was at the forefront in this practice. This was demonstrated by staff who provided treatment for vulnerable patients.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs. A Saturday clinic was open to help those with children attend outside of school hours.
• The provider had effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had information governance arrangements.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Review guidance regarding basic periodontal examination (BPE) from the British Society of Periodontology.